


This is Where You Would Want to be Built

by ilyena_sylph, Merfilly



Series: Get Out of the Fridge [7]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Breastfeeding, F/M, Reunions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-11
Updated: 2016-10-11
Packaged: 2018-08-21 21:15:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,842
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8260714
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ilyena_sylph/pseuds/ilyena_sylph, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Merfilly/pseuds/Merfilly
Summary: The family comes together, and a father meets his children.





	

Obi-Wan was cooking when Anakin suddenly sat bolt upright and turned to the landing pad. He'd been antsy the entire morning, it felt like, and now it looked as if everything was coming to a head.

"Anakin?" he asked aloud, even as his former padawan moved.

"They're coming," Anakin answered over his shoulder as he headed for the opening to the pad, his eyes sweeping across the skyline and traffic, looking for his wife and padawan, Captain and Threepio. The children, too, but those he wouldn't see nearly so easily... "they're close." 

"I'll add more food then. Ahsoka has always been able to eat what you did as a padawan and more." Obi-Wan would let them have their reunion. He didn't really need to get in the way.

Anakin retorted, "Only in straight protein," as he grabbed hold of the frame of the archway to keep from being on the very edge of the pad -- and then gave up on that and headed out as the Corellian speeder came close enough that he could really see her, see _them_ , and his heart leapt wildly. 

The speeder set down adeptly, and Padmé was the first one out of it, going straight to him. She did not hesitate; Ahsoka had made it clear he was safe again.

"Ani," she breathed as she stepped into his arms, while the other three disembarked. 

"Thank you, Sena," Ahsoka said. "If Corellia needs anything…." She tapered off as Sena nodded.

"I'll hold you to that, Ahsoka. I'll let the constable know too." She then took back off rather than draw any more attention to this pad, going back to her embassy.

"Angel," Anakin whispered, his arms wrapping as close around her as he thought was safe, dipping his head to bury his face in the riot of her curls. "Oh, my wife, I -- "

He would pay attention to everything -- everyone -- else soon enough. Right now he could do nothing but hold her, breathe her scent, sink into her presence in the Force and truly, absolutely _know_ that his Vision hadn't come to pass, that somehow (and not by him) she'd been saved from what he'd seen. 

His Angel was alive, and safe, and back in his arms. 

And apparently he was shaking. Not good, that last. 

"I've got you, Anakin," she said softly, wrapping her arms around him more securely, lending him her strength. She could not imagine what he had been through, and only knew that Ahsoka was convinced the evilness was gone.

Rex took in that reunion, shook his head, corralled Threepio with a hand, and made to go around, something Ahsoka joined him in. They needed to get the babies out of the armored harnesses, and get them settled in for their new lives as Senatorial babies.

"Always," Anakin agreed, leaning desperately into her hold, still breathing _her_. She was so strong, and so brave, wonderful beyond any words... and somehow, somehow his wife. "I -- oh, Padmé..." His first languages kept trying to escape his lips, rather than the Basic he'd tried so hard to become fluent in, and it -- he wasn't sure there were words, in any case. "You're home," wasn't really what he wanted to say, but it fell off his tongue anyway. 

"Yes. And we need to be inside," she told him, taking charge as she often did. "The babies probably want to be fed, and I'd rather not be a target out in the open, in case anyone did manage to figure out I was back."

She would need to touch base with her staff soon, and Bail after that. But first, and more importantly, she needed to keep Anakin calm.

Anakin hissed at that last thought, his arms wrapping more tightly around her. The _hell_ anyone was going to hurt her now!

Babies. Fed. His wife, with their children. Children he needed to meet, a padawan to hug... for that, and for the thought of her being in danger, yes, those were good reasons to move. He shifted to have only one arm around her, to go with her. 

Together, they entered the room to find Rex with the babies, staying as far from the kitchen as he could, and Threepio and Artoo pressed plating to plating against each other.

"General," he said, gruffly, and keeping his voice low. He looked… angry and hurt and resigned all in one.

Anakin could hear Ahsoka's voice in the kitchen, and felt Obi-Wan recovering from an upset.

"...okay now. He won't hurt us; he saved my life! And we can help the others; we know how!" Ahsoka was saying.

"Oh, _kriff_! I thought I -- " Anakin actually let go of his wife to move to his Captain, dragging him into a hard embrace. "I'm sorry, _vod_. It's damned good to see you..." he shifted his weight, looking into Rex's eyes, "and thank you. More than I can ever really say." 

Rex had stiffened at first, then relaxed and actually brought his arms up to return the hug. "Did my duty, sir," he said, dismissing the gratitude. "And glad to do so," he added, giving a slight smile at the babies, then Padmé, to show he really hadn't minded one damn bit.

"I have to accept your word on that," Obi-Wan said in resignation, clear enough to be heard. Ahsoka moved to hug him then, having really been afraid for him when his reaction to Rex speaking had been to drop a pan.

Padmé took a seat on the floor, near the babies that Rex had placed on a soft blanket, a gift from Suu, and reached for Luke, who seemed most alert. Granted, the sun was up, so that made sense. Leia was more the night owl.

"Rex," Anakin murmured, low, "if you hadn't been there, Ahsoka would be dead. Don't you play that off. And if you hadn't done what you did, we'd have _no_ way to know how to save -- that there's any chance of -- saving even some of your brothers. Accept the karking thanks and praise already, got it? 

"But yeah, I meant it for protecting my family, too." 

Rex's complexion darkened, and his eyes were stormy. "I thought I'd have more time, sir. When I got back to the Commander, I didn't tell her then. If I had--"

"You don't know what might have happened!" Ahsoka said, coming back to him. "I told you before, Rexter, it might have triggered a failsafe if I had tried to do anything, and I had no way of knowing if comms were secure by that point!" She wasn't about to let him play the blame game. "Hey Skyguy. Who do I owe thanks to for knocking your head back on straight?"

Padmé had to kind of stare at the younger woman for that blunt question. Did she seriously think that was the best way to handle Anakin?

Anakin held on to Rex with one arm, reaching out to his padawan with the other, as a wry grin cracked across his lips at her blunt impertinence. "Our Master, of course," he replied, tipping his head at the kitchen, "who else? When he killed -- him -- it snapped the compulsions in my head and knocked me out for most of a week. 

"Then he found me here and did some serious psych-surgery to clean up the pits-forsaken mess that a shattered Dark Side Force Bond apparently leaves. Once he decided not to kill me, anyway." 

"Better him than me, Skyguy." She tucked into his embrace, leaning her head on his shoulder and closing her eyes as she reached for their bond, letting herself savor his physical and Force presence. "Just so glad he could save you, Master," she said softly. It didn't matter that she wasn't in the Order, didn't matter that the Order might not even exist anymore. He was her teacher and elder brother and that was all there was to it.

Padmé decided she was never going to get used to who got away with what kind of words with Anakin, as she opened the top of her dress to allow their son to feed. "Ani, I named our son, over here, Luke, and Leia, there under Rex's hand, is our daughter," she said, once there had been a moment of quiet.

"Not quite little biters yet, sir; I'm told it takes them most of a year to get many teeth in at all," Rex said, drawing his hand back so Anakin could reach for the sleepy girl if he wanted to.

Anakin dipped his head to rest his cheek on Ahsoka's crown, between her montrals, as he held his padawan, his little sister, close for those few moments. Then Padmé spoke, and he turned his head to look at her -- freezing at the incredible sight of their son at her breast, before he nodded. "Luke, and Leia. Huh. We were both right, then," he said, teasing her gently, before he let go of them to lay a careful hand on his daughter, brushing lightly over her mind with the Force. "Hello, Leia..." 

~Sleepy. Content. Safe.~

The presence in the Force was strong, and mildly echoing because her brother was a bit more distant from her.

"So we were. When Ahsoka said it was twins, I almost fainted," Padmé told him.

"I'm glad you didn't. I don't think I could have caught you," Ahsoka said warmly. She then shifted away from them, going back into the kitchen to check on Obi-Wan and be useful. Rex moved back, getting out of his General's way, though he did not follow Ahsoka, giving General Kenobi his space and understanding, no matter how much it cut into his heart.

No Jedi should have ever known fear of them!

"I hear them both..." Anakin murmured, stunned, petting his fingers so carefully over her dark hair, feeling like a fist was wrapped around his throat with how much he already loved this tiny, helpless little being. He could feel Rex's aching hurt, and stretched out on the floor to be closer to his daughter -- while managing to get into contact with Rex, too. He should go help Ahsoka, go apologize that he'd failed to warn him, but... his children. And his Captain. And wife. 

Rex took that for what it was, and stopped moving, making sure to stay in contact with his General. He was learning that touch, even outside his brothers, was a staple in keeping sane.

Maybe more so, now that he'd lost, for a time, his brothers. Could he even save any of them? If he managed to get their chips out, how many of them that were pulling the triggers were even going to find the strength to live? He could name a handful that probably would use their blasters one more, final time.

"Ahsoka mentioned," Padmé said. "She said they're already bonded to each other, too."

Anakin nodded, still carefully studying his daughter's features, the way he could see so much of his Angel in her. "It echoes," he agreed, "between them." He could feel Rex's hurt shifting to grief, to worry, and he pushed a little closer to him, using a thread of the Force to try to soothe some of it. Not manipulating, or taking it away, but... soothing, steadying. They would find a way, they had to. But it was going to be so, so hard. 

"They are very much our children," Padmé said, smiling at Anakin. "Your Force ability and my lungs."

"They're not so loud, as long as Ahsoka's around to interpret for us," Rex said, pushing into that Force touch unconsciously, steadying and watching Leia. He was their god-father, Padmé said, and that was a serious thing for a vod.

Anakin snorted softly, amused. "I know some of the crec -- " his voice faltered, failed, as he remembered what Obi-Wan had told him. That the Temple was destroyed, and only some of the younglings had gotten out. The masters of the creche, who had all sorts of Force tricks to keep up with the younglings, were most likely dead. Most of everyone he -- 

~Upset? No no..~ Leia was reacting to him, reaching for him, and he took a breath and calmed himself ruthlessly. They weren't words so much as emotions and concepts.

"Shh... shh, sweetheart, it's all right, princess..." he murmured, trying to figure out how to actually hold her. She was so, so tiny, and delicate, what if he... 

"Here, sir." Rex saw the problem and moved, picking up the infant and then walking Anakin through how to safely hold her. Cut had given him pointers; he sure as hell would pass them on to his General, so he didn't want to use bodily harm against the man to protect the twins.

Anakin listened intently to Rex, watching, and then after a few moments of that, he had his daughter in his arms, cradling her carefully. How Rex knew so well what he was doing, he had no idea, but it was obviously right. His daughter, their Leia, so much like her mother it kept nearly hitting him over the head, love tightening its vice around his throat again. "See?" he murmured to her, "it's all okay, beautiful." 

He glanced around, finding that Artoo and Threepio still hadn't separated, and smiled a little. That made him smile, and Leia made a soft, happy coo. 

Rex settled back again, now that his General had the hang of it. Seeing Anakin Skywalker acting more like himself than those awful moments on the Temple causeway had done a lot to help him believe the nightmare might just end.

"Food is ready," Obi-Wan said, stepping out enough to see the imagery of his former padawan holding a baby, the mother of them feeding another, and… Rex, watching with such quiet, soft emotions on his face that it made his heart hurt all over again.

"Oh, I might get to eat while it's warm," Padmé said, teasingly. She moved to get up with Luke still in her arms; Rex was already there to help her with that, so that Anakin could stand with his own precious burden.

"No, one of them will still make a mess and need changing," Ahsoka teased as she helped set things on the table.

"Then I'll just have to teach the General how to handle that, and she will keep eating," Rex said firmly.

Anakin watched Obi-Wan, now that he'd come out, reaching out with the Force to check on him... and to brush apology over the link between them. He hadn't meant to forget, to let Obi-Wan be blindsided by that one of their soldiers was still _with_ them when the others (his own Cody) were still so lost. "Sounds like a plan," he agreed with Rex's words. "Been keeping all of you busy, have they?" 

Ahsoka nodded firmly, but she smiled, too. "They're darlings, but when they want something, they want it right now." 

The only question in Anakin's mind was which one of the people around him was going to make the comment at him first. 

"Not at all like anyone at this table," Obi-Wan said, waited a beat, and continued when eyes slid to Anakin. "After all, I don't think there were ten solid minutes between seeing the mess the Senate was and Padmé deciding we were going back to Naboo."

That made the Senator laugh, not having expected that at all. "There was more than ten minutes!" she protested, working through getting food one-handed, since Luke was not interested in turning loose of his meal anytime soon.

Anakin blinked in complete surprise as Obi-Wan teased _Padmé_ instead of him, then he broke out in a grin, deciding that he liked that... he liked it a lot. "There were... but as soon as you thought it was possible, you were on the move again, my wife." 

"Alright, maybe," Padmé conceded. "It's a good thing for a politician to know when action is needed, versus talking."

"Yes! It totally is!" Ahsoka said. "Lucky for us, Skyguy latched onto you, because you can keep up with him," she added.

"I rather think it is more keeping up with Padmé," Obi-Wan said, having caught the fact that teasing her had eased something in his former padawan.

"Given what that droid told Wolffe about their advent on the _Malevolence_ , I think I agree," Rex said, deciding that he was going to participate; he'd gotten used to the easy way they spoke while hiding out on Saleucami and Drall.

Anakin glanced between them, amused at the assorted ways they were interplaying, the current in the Force warm and comfortable, wrapped steady around him, and had to bite his tongue on the comment about the droid and clone gossip network. 

Kriff it, they _had_ to find a way to get them back. "It's definitely keeping up with her," he agreed, instead. 

Padmé smiled warmly at him, then set into the food. She was all but starving so much of the time, given the demands on her body from two twins.


End file.
